The Aftermath-Leaving Las Vegas
by enjoyingtheread
Summary: The events of Immortality have lead Morgan to make a difficult decision. Her only supporter is Greg, but she can't continue living her life the same way. Big changes and a big crime scene cause turmoil for Morgan.
1. Chapter 1

Two downcast CSI's sat side by side on the cold, hard concrete stairs, hidden in a far corner of the parking garage. Police and Bomb Squad members milled about. Catherine Willows was somewhere in the parking garage, talking to law enforcement, but Greg and Morgan just sat in silence. Each were lost in their own thoughts about the bombs they had diffused a short time ago. They sat close to each other, bodies touching from shoulders to knee. The warmth the other provided, proving they were still alive.

Greg put his head in his hands, rubbing his face slowly. Images of the three wires kept popping into his mind. Catherine's voice, praying that they were cutting the right wire echoed in this thoughts, a reminder of how close they came to death.

He raised his head and looked over at Morgan. He'd led her over to the stairs and she'd hardly moved once she sat down. Once the adrenaline of disarming the bomb had worn off, she'd gotten very quiet. She'd managed to give her statement to a police officer, but other than that, Greg didn't think he'd heard her say anything for the last thirty minutes. He'd figured she needed a few minutes to unwind and process things. But she seemed to be retreating into herself. He noticed her hands were still trembling, clasped in her lap. Reaching over to her hands, Greg softly wrapped them around them in his own.

"Are you doing okay?" He whispered.

"Not really." she replied shakily. "I'm sorry." she whispered, not even looking up from watching her hands tremble.

Greg put a comforting arm around her shoulders, resting his chin on her head. He kept his other hand covering Morgan's clasped, trembling hands. They remained like that until Catherine noticed them and walked briskly over.

"Greg, you two are all done here. Do you want to take Morgan back to Headquarters and then take her home?" Catherine looked with concern at Morgan's trembling hands. Morgan was a tough woman, but she didn't seem to be handling the aftermath of the bombs very well.

"Sure Catherine." Said Greg, rising up off of the step.

"Can I have a word with you first, Greg?" Catherine beckoned to Greg as he walked down the steps and he followed her a discreet distance away from Morgan, who still hadn't moved.

"Greg, how is Morgan handling this? She looks pretty rattled. The department crisis counselor is here somewhere. Do you think that we should get Morgan to speak to her before leaving?" Catherine glanced in Morgan's direction.

Greg did the same, seeing the pale woman sitting on the steps, lost in her own thoughts.

"It might not be a bad idea. She looks pretty rattled." Said Greg, running his hand through his hair. He was becoming more concerned for Morgan as time went on. He'd seen her after her kidnapping, and shooting a suspect dead. Both times she was rattled, but her tough exterior came though not long after each incident. She had been able to be professional, but time was different.

"Do you think you will be able to take her home and stay with her a bit if she needs it? Her dad is going to be quite busy now and he won't be available." Catherine searched Greg's eyes. She could see his concern reflecting back in his brown eyes. She knew at one point Greg had a little crush on Morgan, but as she didn't work with the Lab anymore, she wasn't sure if he still felt that way. She felt she needed to add a little warning.

"Keep it platonic though. You don't want to do anything you regret the next day." Catherine blurted out. "I've been in a similar position a few times in my CSI days and almost dying can lead people to do things the wouldn't ordinarily do."

Greg's eyebrows rose but he couldn't think of anything to say in response. Taking advantage of Morgan was the last thing on his mind. He walked back over to her. Squatting down, he took her hands in his once again. Her eyes rose to meet his. She looked so frightened and fearful. He resisted the urge to take her in his arms and hold her.

"Look, the Crisis counselor is here. I think you should talk to her before we leave." Greg said quietly.

"No, Greg. I just want to get out of here. I need to get out of here. Can you please take me home?" Morgan stood up suddenly. Greg stood up too, still holding her hand. Her big blue eyes met his and she pleaded with her eyes for Greg to take her home.

Greg spent the next couple of minutes arguing with Morgan. Finally, he agreed to take her home, on the condition that Morgan was to be properly debriefed the next day. He knew there'd be mandatory counselled sessions anyway. Greg choose to give her what would make her most comfortable immediately. He put his arm on the small of her back and gently guided her to the Denali. He held the car door open for her as she climbed in.

Greg got in the driver's seat and allowed silence to fill the car. He maneuvered out of the parking lot and onto the main road. They drove in silence for a few minutes, before Greg felt he had to say something.

"Look Morgan, you're a great CSI and we've been through many dangerous situations. We can get through this."

Morgan raised her head and looked at Greg. What she was about to say would be a shock to him. It wasn't a shock to her. She had made peace with her decision not too long ago. Tonight had solidified her resolve to implement her new plan. One thing that had been holding her back from announcing her plan was sitting beside her, eyes flickering from the road to her and back. She was a little worried what her team would think. Would they think of her as weak? Unable to handle the job? She loved solving crimes but continually being in danger was getting on her nerves.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thanks for the reviews. This story is written and is going to be a few more chapters- just polishing them up. Thanks for reading**.

"Greg, I have something to tell you and I'm not sure you're going to take it well." Morgan said softly but with conviction.

Greg looked over at Morgan, eyebrows raised. He reached over and put his hand on her knee in what he hoped was a friendly gesture. "Morgan, I'm here for you in both good and bad times. You can tell me anything." He removed his hand from her knee and put it back on the steering wheel as he turned a corner.

Morgan put her hand over her knee, trying to keep the warmth of Greg's touch. She was going to need a lot of strength to say what she needed to say.

She took a deep breath and said what'd she'd been thinking often, but never voiced to another person. "Greg, I'm done being a CSI. I can't handle it anymore. My nerves are shot."

The car swerved as Greg's head snapped over to look at Morgan. "Morgan! You're a fantastic CSI. You're working up to a Level 3 CSI. I know tonight was really scary, but don't let this incident scare you. You've been through much worse."

Ignoring Greg's words, Morgan took a deep breath and continued on. "Greg, ever since I was hijacked in that helicopter, I've been having nightmares. Not all the time, but often. Then when I went undercover and got shot, my nightmares got longer and more vivid. Finn's death has just added to my worries. Her death has proven to me that I'm not invincible. I've just been lucky. I've tried the counselor but nothing seems to be working." She rushed on, " Look at what happened to me tonight when we tried to diffuse the bombs. I dropped the clippers and almost killed us. I could barely get it together in time. I almost blew all three of us up. I couldn't handle the pressure." Her voice wavered, but she continued. " Like I said before, I get so nervous now and my anxiety is through the roof. I thought as time passed and I put more distance away from the helicopter and undercover experience, I'd get better. It hasn't worked that way. It's gotten worse." Morgan paused for just a second, not long enough for Greg to get a word in.

"I can't handle it and I don't want to have to handle it anymore." She looked out her window, away from Greg. She had just admitted out loud that she was a failure as a CSI. She felt a pit in her stomach as she avoided looking in Greg's direction.

Greg was startled. He'd worked very closely with Morgan lately and he hadn't any idea that she was in so much inner turmoil. He felt bad she'd been carrying such a burden for the last, who knows how long? He loved the woman next to him and whatever it took for her to be happy, he'd support her.

There was silence in the car as Greg processed Morgan's admission and Morgan waited for Greg to say something.

"If that is something that you need to do, I'll support you one hundred percent. Are you going to quit working right away? Do you have another career path in mind?"

For the first time in many hours, Morgan smiled a tiny smile. "I love piecing together the puzzle of a crime and fighting for Justice. I don't want to get too far from that. I want to transfer over to the lab."

Greg grinned at her and the mood in the car started to lighten.

Morgan looked at Greg, meeting his eyes with a smile in return. "I know, Mr. Ex-Lab rat. It is kind of funny but I've been thinking more long term, about life too." She paused, trying to be as honest as possible with Greg, but not wanting to admit she had any feelings for him. This was not the time to let him in on that little secret. "I'm in my thirties. I want to get married and have children. I couldn't go out in the field every day and wonder if I'd be home to see my children that night."

"You know, marriage isn't something that you and I've really talked about before." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized how it must have sounded to her. "Not you and I getting married, but you know, personal life stuff." Greg added the last part quickly, not wanting to frighten her and stop her from speaking honestly. To him, it sounded like she had been thinking about her life a lot and she needed someone she could talk to.

Morgan continued to talk. "In this job, we don't have much of a personal life. This is something I need to change. I spend more time outside of work with you, than I do going out on dates. Don't get me wrong." She added quickly, " I enjoy spending time with you very much, but it's against policy for you and I to date." She put her hand on his arm, taking the sting out of her words.

"Would it be against policy if you were a lab rat?" Asked Greg without thinking. Aw shit, he thought to himself. He had just picked the worst time to inadvertently reveal his feelings towards her. Not now. Catherine would be pissed if she knew what he'd just said.

Catching Greg off guard, Morgan simply said, "No, it isn't. I checked."

Greg tried to think of something, anything decent to say, but all that came out was an inelegant, "Oh?"

Morgan chuckled at his reaction. Inwardly a warm glow had started in her stomach when Greg asked if a CSI dating a lab rat would be against the rules. She'd known at one point he had a crush on her and he was still protective of her. However, she'd dropped a few hints about maybe being more than friends, but Greg had either not gotten the hints or choose to ignore them. Now she felt more secure that he was going to be there for her. He'd been her rock for the past forty eight hours of hell.

Morgan shrugged but looked down at her no longer quivering hands. She didn't quite have the nerve to look up at Greg. But they had reached headquarters and he was busy parking the car. She waited until he had pulled in and shut off the car. Neither moved from their seat though.

Morgan sighed and turned towards Greg. Looking up, she noticed he had a goofy smile that he just couldn't seem to hide. Her heart melted. This was the man she wanted to wake up with every day. _Well,_ she thought, _Might as well be honest, there's no turning back now._

"I need you to know that my feelings for you and my feelings about being a CSI are two separate things. They came about at different times and in the end, I didn't make a decision about becoming a lab rat because of you." Greg took her hand in his and with a nod, encouraged her to continue. "You are the most amazing guy I know. You are funny, smart and just so much fun to be around. When I first got here, I was not looking to date anyone at work. But somehow over the first year or two, I started to see you in a new light. At first it was professionally. You helped me become a better CSI and taught me so much." She looked back up into Greg's beautiful brown eyes and continued. "Then I started to realize that I wanted to see you outside of work. Whenever we would go out for a beer after work, I wanted so much more. But I knew we couldn't. "

Still grinning, Greg replied, "I know, I felt the same way. I wanted for so long to ask you out on a real date, but I always choked. I'm sorry, I wish I had of asked you out. You wouldn't have had to go through your nightmares alone. I wish I had been there for you."

"Look," said Morgan, drawing back from Greg suddenly. "It's been a pretty hard, these last couple of days. lets go inside, hand in our kits and do our paperwork and go home. We can talk more later."

Shocked by Morgan's sudden change of topic. Greg watched Morgan reach for the handle of the car door. He quickly exited the car and went around back to get their kits. His mind was racing from the events of the past few days as well as the revelations made by Morgan on the ride back to headquarters. Did she really want to be with him? That was the question Greg most wanted answered.

At the lab, the duo went through the motions, but each were lost in their own world. The night shift workers were still there, waiting for word on their colleagues. Hugs and handshakes were exchanged with those who had just come back from peril. Now that the immediate danger was over, there was a palpable sense of relief throughout the lab. Morgan took note of the lab rats, finishing their shifts, doing paperwork. They had been a tremendous help in every crime that happened in Las Vegas, but they did not have to put themselves in the danger she had just been through.

D.B. cornered Morgan as she was about to head to the locker room. He'd noticed the steep change in Morgan throughout the ordeal. She had no trace of a smile on her lips, she was pale and her face was expressionless. She almost looked like she was sleepwalking through the motions. He remembered her tears when she was finally safe after the helicopter abduction. He remembered her shock after killing the young woman. Both times she had cried tears of relief that her ordeal was over. She had been scared, but this time she seemed to have no emotion whatsoever. That scared D.B. the most.

"Morgan, can I see you in my office please?" Morgan didn't even jump when the voice startled her. She just turned slowly to face her supervisor. She just nodded and followed him down the hall.

Once she was in his office, seated on one of the two guest chairs, she stared down at her feet. Russell took the chair beside her, carefully watching her face.

"Morgan, you just went through something pretty life altering. How are you handling it?"

"Fine, Russell." she lied. "I'm just tired all of a sudden. It has been one hell of a night." She gave him a smile, trying to hide behind it.

"Are you sure? Have you spoken to anyone about this yet?" He asked, referring to the psychologist.

"I plan on doing that tomorrow, after I've had a good day's sleep." Morgan joked again, referring to the night shift joke.

Russell, didn't say anything, just leaned back in his chair and looked at her.

Morgan squirmed at his scrutiny. D.B. was perceptive and she knew he'd been concerned about her ability to handle things in the past. While he may have just been looking out for her, she had risen to every challenge that has been asked of her. She'd volunteered for the undercover operation, continuing to try to prove to herself and others that she was a good criminalist in her own right and not some nepotism hire.

"Greg is taking me home and I promise I'll be here tomorrow for the debriefing." She said finally, trying to sound strong so she could just get out of the lab and go home.

"Alright, you'll be in good hands with Greg. But you absolutely need to be here for the debriefing. That is not optional. Do you understand?" D.B. leaned forward and looked Morgan squarely in the eye.

Morgan just nodded.

"Good, now lets go find Greg and get him to take you home."

D.B. stood up and walked towards the office door, holding it open for Morgan. She walked into the chaos of the lab, unsure where to go first. It was officially day shift, but night shift workers were still around, talking to their day shift colleagues about the excitement that happened overnight. Extra personnel milled around. Policemen and Bomb Squad personnel were dropping off additional evidence at reception. The lab was many times louder than it was normally. The noise bothered Morgan today. She just wanted go somewhere quiet and be alone with her thoughts. Russell, still beside her, was guiding her through the halls as he looked for Greg.

He found him in the break room, talking to Henry, who was hanging on to every word of Greg's recount of the bombs. Seeing Morgan and D.B come into the room, Greg broke off the story, with a promise to Henry, that he'd finish the story next shift. Walking over to Morgan and D.B., Greg stopped short of gathering Morgan into a big hug.

"I heard you are taking Morgan home?" D.B. inquired.

"Yes, sir."

Morgan looked up at Greg with a soft smile. "Can we go now?"


	3. Chapter 3

Once safely in Greg's car, Morgan buckled her seat belt, ignoring the buzzing of her phone.

"Are you at least going to see who's calling?" Asked Greg. "It might be your dad."

Morgan sighed, she hated when Greg was right. She fished her phone out of her pocket. Sure enough it was her father's number.

"I don't have the energy for this right now." She sighed.

"I'm sure your father just wants to talk to you and reassure himself you're alright. You can do it." He said in a reassuring tone.

Morgan gave Greg a quick glare and answered her phone.

"Morgan! Are you okay?" Greg could hear Ecklie's yell through the phone.

"I'm fine, Dad." She gave him an abridged version of events, lying her head back on the headrest and closing her eyes while she spoke.

As Greg started the car and began to drive, Eclkie's voice got quieter. Greg couldn't her the other end of the conversation anymore, just Morgan giving reassuring platitudes to her dad. Finally, she tried to end the conversation.

"Look Dad, I'm fine. You have a ton of work to do over the next few days. I'm sure I'll find time to see you at headquarters. I'll be there for the shift debriefing tonight. Greg is taking me home right now." Greg could hear Eclkie's voice rise above the noise of the car. Greg chuckled to himself. It did not sound like Ecklie liked that. Morgan interrupted her father with, "I am a grown woman and just need a ride home! Good night dad." She turned her phone right off and stashed it in her bag.

Greg couldn't help but look over at Morgan. "That is two people who have warned me not to take advantage of you today. Apparently people think I'm the sort of ass that would do that." He felt kind of pissed off, but in reality, his feelings for Morgan were pretty well known around the lab.

"You're not an ass, Greg. You're a friend who's helping me out. Thank you. I just need to go home and take my mind off the last few days. And not _that_ way!" she grinned and gave him a smack on the arm.

Greg laughed in relief. There was a hint of the old Morgan.

Once safely in Morgan's driveway, Greg met Morgan in the front of the car and walked her to the front door.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself, or do you need me to stay for a bit?" Asked Greg, searching Morgan's eyes.

"Would you mind staying? I don't want to be alone. I just want some quiet company right now." Replied Morgan as she opened the front door and deactivated her house alarm.

Greg followed behind her, closing and locking the door. He turned to face her again.

She smiled at him and closed the gap between them, giving him a big hug. Greg closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of her body close to his. He smelled her hair as it tickled his nose. Normally he could smell her shampoo if they were working in close proximity. He loved the scent. But today, it smelled of dampness, sweat and must. Not surprising, considering the day they'd just had. He probably smelled similar.

Morgan must have realized the same thing. "Would you mind if I took a shower? The smell reminds me of what happened tonight. I just want to scrub myself clean. I only have one shower in my place though. Do you want to take one after me? " She pulled away from the hug and went into her small kitchen, pouring two glasses of water.

"Yeah, I could use a shower too. I've got my emergency bag of clothes in my car. I'll just run outside and grab them." Greg gestured towards his car parked in her driveway as he went over and retrieved the glass of water Morgan was holding out to him. He drained it quickly.

Morgan headed for her bedroom, opening the door to her sanctuary. It was neat, clean and everything had its own place. She went to her drawers in search of some comfortable clothing. Pulling out a pair of Yoga pants and old college t-shirt, she headed for her shower. She turned the water on, adding a shower tablet of lilac, her favourite scent. Stripping off her clothes, she got in the shower.

Underneath the spray, all alone with her thoughts, the events of the day started to creep back into her mind. She scrunched up her eyes in an attempt to hold the tears back. She failed miserably. She burst into sobs, first leaning against the side of the stall. Then, unable to take it anymore, she crouched down, hugging her knees and sobbing. She tried to cry quietly, so Greg wouldn't hear her. Her mind wandered to the events of the evening, the fear she felt holding the wire cutters. The fact that they had to choreograph their cuts down to the second and how her shaking hands had betrayed her and had almost killed the three of them and many, many others living in that building. Then she thought of her ride back to headquarters with Greg. He hadn't said she was crazy when she shared her feelings and he didn't think she was crazy for thinking of finding a different job. She managed to stand up and start focusing on washing the memories of the day away.

Smelling much better, after her shower, she found Greg seated at her kitchen table, diving into a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Shrugging sheepishly, he pointed to a second sandwich on a plate in front of an empty chair. "I couldn't remember when we last ate real food. I hope you don't mind."

"You're right, we haven't eaten much. I don't feel hungry, but I probably am. Thanks." Gratefully, Morgan sat down on her chair and started to eat her sandwich. After finishing them, Greg went to take a shower and Morgan sat down at the television, searching for something that would distract her from the thoughts that would not stop scrolling through her mind.

When Greg came back into the living room after his shower, he found Morgan seated in the middle of her couch, watching a rerun of 'Friends'. She smiled and motioned for him to sit down next to her. He walked over to the couch and took his spot beside her, extending his arm around her. Immediately, she wrapped an arm around his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. He leaned over and smelled her her still damp hair. The familiar scent was back. He turned his attention back to the television. He was never a fan of this television show and certainly did not feel up to watching it tonight. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The stress and lack of sleep of the past few days caught up with him and he fell quickly into a deep slumber.

Waking up to laughter from the television, he felt the weight of Morgan sprawled across him. From his vantage point, it looked like she had fallen asleep as well. Slowly, he maneuvered himself to pick up Morgan without waking her. Surprised at how light she was, he lifted her into his arms and managed to get off the couch. Limp in his arms, he carried her into her bedroom and put her into bed without waking her. He watched her sleeping peacefully for a few seconds before he moved to cover her with a blanket. She looked so relaxed, sleeping. He searched her sleeping form for any indication of fear, but saw nothing. He debated on what to do next. She'd mentioned that she'd been having nightmares again and she didn't want to be alone. Greg assessed the situation. Getting into bed beside her would be too forward. He noticed an extra blanket on the end of her bed. Grabbing it, he decided to sleep on the couch, just in case she needed him. He would be here for her. He looked down at the alarm clock on Morgan's night stand. It was already 1 pm. He only had time to catch a few hours sleep before heading to headquarters for the debriefing.

A pounding on the front door startled Greg from a deep sleep. Momentarily disoriented after waking up, the events of the previous night came flooding back, reminding him why he was passed out on Morgan's couch. Judging from the stillness around him, Morgan was still sleeping. Greg sat up on the couch and slowly got up. It must be Catherine coming to check up on them. With a glance back at Morgan's still closed door, he got up. Catherine had continued to pound on the door with increasing urgency. Greg hurried to the door and opened it, eyes widening in shock and a little horror. There before him stood Conrad Ecklie, eyes blazing. Ecklie walked through the open door into the apartment, backing Greg up.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He raged at Greg. "After all you went through last night, you took advantage of my daughter?"

Greg had seen Ecklie mad quite a few times in his career, but Greg had never seen Ecklie quite this angry.

"Wait a second." Said Greg, holding up his arms defensively. "Nothing happened at all. We-" Greg was cut off by Ecklie.

"Right, nothing happened. Why the hell are you still here hours after you were taking her home? Just comforting her? Like I believe that. You've been after her for years and you saw your chance when she was vulnerable. You're like an animal, waiting for weakness before you pounce." Ecklie pounded his finger into Greg's chest as he spoke.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Came a voice from the bedroom, interrupting Ecklie's tirade. Morgan stood at the door, anger flashing in her eyes. She marched over to her dad and continued yelling. "Greg came here to comfort me. That. is. all."

"Like I believe that, Morgan." Replied her father. "Why didn't one of the girls offer to stay with you then, if you needed comfort." Eclkie spit out the last word in a condescending tone.

"Well, Sara and Mr. Grissom are off doing their own thing. Catherine had FBI stuff to do and I don't think I should subject poor, green Lindsay Willows to the horrors that this job can do to your mind." Morgan returned with venom in her voice. "You had to work, and Greg has always been a comfort to me, whether you like it or not. I am in my thirties and not a teenager anymore."

"Look, Morgan." Ecklie said, a touch softer. "I have been texting and calling your phone. It's off and I got worried. We have the debriefing for night shift soon and I couldn't reach you. I needed to know you are okay. A rumpled Greg Sanders opening your door was not what I was expecting." He started to cool down as he eyes darted between the two, still unsure what really went on before he arrived.

"Sorry sir." Greg spoke up. "With so little sleep over the past few days, I fell asleep on the couch and did not wake up until you got here. We will be at headquarters very soon."

"You heard Greg." Replied Morgan, anger still flashing through her eyes. "We will see you there." With that, she kicked her father out of her foyer and turned to Greg.

"Sorry about that." She said, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sometimes we still argue. But why the hell did you open the door?"

"I thought it was Catherine coming to check on us." Greg shrugged one shoulder. "But we'd better get a move on, we need to be at the debriefing soon."

* * *

Over the next few days, chaos still controlled Morgan. Sara had been offered D.B's position and had surprisingly turned it down to go somewhere with Grissom. Catherine was coming back and D.B. was gone. She was still angry at her father for his uncalled for accusations hurled toward Greg and she and Greg hadn't really had time to talk much. Work had started again as usual, but Morgan had been forced to start seeing the department psychologist, as did everyone who was on the front lines that night. Greg had taken her out for breakfast one morning, urging her to be honest with the psychologist. He wanted her to make sure she'd searched all avenues before reaching her final decision.

The psychologist had immediately recognized symptoms of Post Tramatic Stress Disorder in Morgan. The multiple traumas she had experienced on the job had managed to infiltrate her life so subtly, that she was unaware of the stress and anxiety she was putting herself under. However, the psychologist was insisting that Morgan make no sudden changes in her career while she was still actively experiencing PTSD. This frustrated Morgan. She knew what she wanted, and how she wanted to proceed in life. But she was being told that it was just a stage and it would pass with the right help.

Morgan had been honest with the psychologist regarding her experience in the field after the night of the bombs. She told her how she was becoming scared of dark places and opening up boxes, and garbage bins in the field. The psychologist had immediately assigned Morgan to lab duty telling her she needed more therapy before going back into the field. On some level it was a relief. However overall, because the decision was out of her hands, she felt like a failure. She felt like people were talking behind her back, saying she couldn't handle the field. Her work life seemed to be in a jumble.

It had been one week since she'd been banished to the lab. The night shift CSI crew were short handed due to her desertion and Sara leaving. Hodges had ended up being in the field more than he wanted to, complaining to Morgan about missing his lab. He was in no way blaming her, but to Morgan, it felt that way. She'd barely seen Greg, who was doing more overtime. Her life was a mess and it wasn't getting any better. She couldn't see a positive way out. Her only thought was of quitting the force completely and moving back to California, leaving everyone and their opinions of her behind.

Finally, Greg managed to find her in the lab on their last shift of the week. She was carefully attempting to get fingerprints off of a coffee cup. He watched her for a few seconds, while she was engrossed in using ninhydrin to see if any latent prints would come to light. He watched her slowly and meticulously work away in the lab. To him, she looked like her normal self.

She looked up and caught him staring at her, goofy smile on his face. "Hey." She, returned his smile. "What are you doing in here? This isn't your case."

"Careful, you're starting to sound like Hodges." Greg teased. Morgan laughed.

He walked over to stand beside her. "I won't keep you long. I just wanted to know if you were free for dinner on Saturday night?" He'd been wanting to ask her all week, but he just couldn't seem to get up the nerve. So much had happened since their ride home in the car after diffusing the three bombs.

She turned to look at him, giving him a sly smile. "I'd love to."


	4. Chapter 4

Greg arrived at Morgan's house, five minutes ahead of schedule and more nervous than he'd been in a long time. Hopping out of his SUV, he took a deep breath and headed towards the door.

Morgan heard the vehicle pull up and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered faster. She'd been ready for a while and had been trying to concentrate on a game she'd pulled up on her computer, to pass the time. Truthfully, she'd spent most of the afternoon figuring out what to wear and then getting ready. It had been a long time since she'd been on a real date. She'd met a couple of guys for coffee or a drink here or there, but they didn't really count. She wanted old fashioned dates and Greg was the first guy in Las Vegas to offer to take her out for one.

She waited until he rang her bell, before getting up off the couch. She reached the door but paused, smoothing out her simple black dress and checking out her reflection in the hall mirror. Nothing seemed out of place and she opened the door.

She smiled widely at him, taking in his clothing. He was dressed nicely with a crisp, patterned button up shirt, khakis and his leather jacket. No blue jeans. _He dressed up for this date._ Thought Morgan happily. _He's treating this like a real date_. For some reason, seeing him standing on her front doorstep, nervous smile on his face, put Morgan at ease. Her work life may be crap right now, but she knew this was going to be a great night.

Morgan smiled at Greg. "So what's the big plan for tonight, Sanders? You're keeping me in the dark about this date has me intrigued."

"It's nothing out of this world, just dinner at a nice restaurant. I'm looking forward to taking you out and keeping your mind off of work for a little while." He extended his hand out to Morgan.

She took his hand and together they walked to Greg's car.

Once inside the restaurant, the two ordered some wine and sat back to talk.

"How are things going with Hodges?" asked Greg.

"Really good, actually. He's been surprisingly supportive, considering I'm in his space. He's recommended a course for me to take to help brush up my trace skills. I'm going to sign up for the next semester."

"I think you're the only one who Hodges would ever let in his space. I'm glad he's playing nice." Greg smiled as he took a sip of the wine the waiter had just brought. "Have you told your dad your new plans yet?"

Morgan looked down at her hands.

"I take it by your silence, that's a no."

"I know I have to do it soon. But it may mean that I don't have a job at the LVPD Crime Lab at all anymore. I guess I'm just dreading what he'll say. He'll tell me that this 'phase' of mine will pass and I should keep being a CSI."

"You know," started Greg. "Many of the people who have worked at the crime lab with me have gone onto second careers. Your dad should know that."

"Really?" asked Morgan, intrigued. "How many?

"Well, first of all Grissom. Sara ended up going away for a while as well. She came back though. Ray Langston was a University professor before he came to the crime lab. Although, I guess he did things backwards." Greg continued. "Look at Catherine. She left for the FBI, but ended up coming back. Your dad cannot be mad if you want to try something different. For crying out loud, he was the day shift supervisor and ended up Sheriff of Las Vegas. You switching from field to lab should not be a big deal at all."

"I guess so." said Morgan, not convinced. "So, what are you going to order?" Changing the subject, Morgan picked up her menu.

Greg took the hint and picked up his menu as well.

The two enjoyed a nice meal together without bringing up work again. Initially it was difficult to find something to talk about that wasn't work related. Once they managed to start talking about music, Morgan found herself loosening up. They shared stories of favourite bands and concerts they'd seen. Morgan even admitted she'd seen an N'Sync concert in her teenage years. Greg announced he would store that tidbit away for blackmail later.

The next morning, Morgan woke up with a grin on her face. She'd had a half decent night sleep, unusual for her lately. While she still had some bad dreams that awoke her in the night, there were no full fledged nightmares. Thinking about her and Greg's late evening make out session on her couch helped her get back to sleep much easier than normal. However, she knew Greg couldn't be her crutch forever. She needed to figure out her job situation. She also knew that it involved talking to her dad. Morgan sighed as she pushed off her covers and climbed out of bed. Her good mood evaporated as the realities of her situation came flooding back.

* * *

Monday evening proved to be an eventful shift at work. Around the big meeting table, Catherine assigned Lindsay to a rape and assault case. Yeager, helping out on grave shift was rewarded with a murder of a homeless man. "All others have paperwork or active cases ongoing." Said Catherine standing at the end of the table. "Greg, I need to see you ASAP in my office before you get to your paperwork." She turned around swiftly before Greg had time to wonder what Catherine would need to see him privately for.

As the CSI team rose from their chairs and trickled out into the hallway, Morgan hung back and gave Greg a questioning look. Greg returned the look, adding a slight shoulder shrug. "I'll guess I'll find out what's so important soon." He whispered as he and Morgan followed their teammates out into the hallway.

"Come on in, Greg." Greeted Catherine warmly. Pointing at the guest chairs facing her desk, she invited him to sit down. Still curious as to why he'd been called into her office, he sat expectantly waiting for Catherine to start talking.

Catherine typed something into her computer and then turned the monitor to face Greg. "Do you recognize these photos?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

The computer automatically scrolled through three different photos. The first one showed colourful trajectory strings crisscrossed in what seemed like a pattern. Evidence markers littered the floor. The second photo showed a close up view of a bloody corpse. The victim was a young brunette. It was too hard to tell how she had died with all of the blood pooled around her. The third photo sent chills down Greg's spine. It was a large hook, covered in blood.

Greg sat back in his chair, rubbing his hands nervously on his thighs. "The Gig Harbor Killer." He hesitated to ask the rest of the question. "Is this-"

Catherine finished for him. "Yes, brand new body, brand new crime scene."

"Where?"

Catherine pushed another button on her computer and the pictures disappeared. She pressed another button and the smiling face of Nick Stokes appeared on the screen. He waved when he saw Greg.

"Nick! Has the Gig Harbor Killer come to San Diego? Winthrop is in jail. Is this a copycat?" Greg looked away, trying not to let Catherine or Nick see the apprehension in his eyes. "I didn't think he was done playing games with us." He'd murdered Finn, Russell and Sara were long gone. Nick and Greg were the next people on the front lines of that investigation. His stomach sank as he thought of breaking the news to Morgan.

"Well, we are not 100% sure this isn't an elaborate copycat." Replied Nick. "The problem is, I'm wrapped up in an Internal Affairs investigation and can't head this investigation. I've talked this over with Catherine and we are wondering if you can come to San Diego to bring my team up to speed on what we know about the Gig Harbor Killer. Winthrop had quite the network of people working with him and under him. We need to study the crime scene carefully and make sure that isn't a copycat. We're hoping you will only be here for a week."

Catherine smiled at Greg. "This is a good career booster." She handed him a file. "Here's all the information you need to know. Gather up all the files we have on the Gig Harbor killer tonight. You leave tomorrow morning."

Greg knew an order when when he heard one. "Sure thing. It'll be nice coming to visit San Diego. Too bad it wasn't under better circumstances." The three discussed the case some more, filling Catherine in on the Las Vegas investigation of the serial killer.

Catherine raised her eyebrows as she listened to Nick and Greg discuss the series of events leading up to Finn's death at the hands of the Gig Harbor Killer. "This sounds dangerous, Greg. Take care of yourself while out there." Her face betrayed her concern for Greg. "I'm confident in your ability Greg, but this guy sounds quite dangerous. " She drummed her fingers on the desk, looking between Greg and her computer screen.

As soon as he'd finished talking to Catherine, he texted Morgan to meet him back in their office. To his surprise, the text went unanswered. He took a quick look through the lab unable to catch a glimpse of her blond curls. With a sigh, he went to the trace lab, looking for Hodges.

Bustling about the lab, he found Hodges absorbed in analyzing particulate matter. "Hey!" Called Greg. "Have you seen Morgan?"

Hodges stopped what he was doing and walked over to Greg. Leaning closer, he lowered his voice. "She's meeting with her dad right now. He came and got her just after shift started." Raising his eyebrows, he gave Greg a worried look. Greg pursed his lips. All he could do was wait. With a sigh, he thanked Hodges and went to gather what he needed for San Diego.

Meanwhile, Morgan was sitting in the cold, metal chair across from her Father who was seated comfortably in his cushioned black office chair.

"I thought I'd stay at work until I got to meet with you. I haven't seen much of you these past few weeks." Conrad Ecklie said sympathetically, leaning forward on his desk and clasping his hands in front of him.

Morgan gave him a fake smile. "I'm doing fine dad. I probably won't be on lab duty for much longer. Looking forward to getting back into the field." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Her father sighed. "Morgan, you don't look fine." Conrad stared Morgan down.

Morgan looked everywhere but at her father. _Time to tell him the truth and face the consequences_. She was quiet for a longer, trying to find the best way to start the conversation.

"Dad, I've been thinking." she said quietly. "The events of the past few years have been tough on me." Her voice faltered, betraying her emotions. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I don't want to be a CSI anymore. I want to stay in the lab." Her head still bowed, she didn't make eye contact with her father.

Absorbing the information, Ecklie paused. "Morgan," he said slowly. "I think you are still a little rattled from disarming the bombs. It will take time, but you'll get your passion for the job back." Standing up from his desk, he came over to sit in the empty chair beside Morgan.

"I'm sorry, but I'd made my decision long before the night of the bombs. That night was just the turning point. The anxiety of being in the field is too much for me to take. When I go into the field, I wonder if I'm going to make it back alive." Morgan traced a small square on the floor with her shoe. "I am done being a CSI. I want to transfer into the lab permanently."

"No you are not." Ecklie's voice started to rise in anger. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down. "Morgan, I can't have people transferring in and out of the lab. We did it with Sanders, but he was the last person to transfer into the field full time. We had another tech, Wendy Simms ask to become a CSI, but I had to turn her down. If I allow you to go into the lab, It could be seen as neoptism. It's not possible." He paused and then added, "Besides, even those in the lab have to go into the field on occasion."

Looking into Morgan's watery eyes, he had a thought. "This isn't about being in a lab, it's about being allowed to date Sanders, isn't it?" He reached out to grab Morgan's hand. "You are a successful CSI in a male dominated profession. Don't give up your life's work for a man. There is no guarantee it will work out between the two of you."

Morgan jerked her hand from her father's grasp. "This isn't about Greg. This is about me being unhappy in my life for a very long time. Greg is the only good thing that has happened recently. So yes," she spat out. "We have just started dating."

Ecklie tiredly rubbed his eyes. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Like I said before, if I allow you and Sanders to openly date, that leaves it open for all to break the no dating policy between CSI's. " He searched the ceiling, trying to think of something to make his daughter happy. The tears had started silently slipping down her cheeks. "Look, Morgan, give me some time to think about this stuff. You've thrown a few major issues at me in the last three minutes. I will try to think of something to help you, okay?"

Morgan tried to wipe her tears away with the back of her sleeve. She stood up suddenly, feeling claustrophobic.

Quickly, Ecklie rose and grabbed her elbow. "Morgan, I love you and I'm worried about you." He said softly. "I know you've had a rough time lately. As a father, I'm saying I'm here for you if you need anything."

"Thanks, Dad." The thick sarcasm fell from her lips as she jerked her elbow away from her fathers hand and purposefully left the office.


	5. Chapter 5

He was transferring files at his computer when Morgan walked into their office. Her eyes, flashing in anger was the first thing he noticed as she flung the door to the office open. She made a motion to slam the door behind her, but thinking better of it, she just shut it gently.

Greg popped up from his chair and went over to her, placing his hands on her upper arms. "I take it, your conversation didn't go well?" Morgan shook her head, anger fading. Unshed tears pooled on her eyelashes. He enveloped her in a hug, not caring who saw. He let Morgan cry a few tears on his chest until she managed to control her emotions.

When her breathing steadied and she lifted her head, Greg put his arm around her and gently guided her to her desk chair. She sat down. Greg grabbed his desk chair and rolled it close so he could sit beside her. Taking a steadying breath, Morgan filled Greg in on her conversation with Ecklie.

"I'm sorry things didn't go as planned Morgan. But give your dad some time. Maybe he can come up with something. Maybe with your PTSD diagnosis, there is a loophole somewhere?" For the first time since she'd come into their office, he saw a ray of hope flash in her eyes.

"I didn't think of mentioning that." Her shoulders slumped again. "But he still doesn't approve of us dating."

Greg reached his hand for Morgan's chin and tilted it so she looked him in the eyes. "No man is ever good enough for your daughter. If I ever have a daughter, I'm sure I'll feel the same way. We'll figure out something."

She smiled and leaned in to give him a fierce hug. "Thanks, I needed that."

Breaking apart, Greg put his hands on her her knees. "Just remember this, Morgan. I am always here for you. We will work through anything together- no matter what it is." His conversation with Catherine scrolled through his mind.

Morgan's smile dropped as she looked into his face. "What? I can see something in your face. What bad news do you have for me?" Being able to read people so well was both a blessing and a curse. "Does this have to do with Catherine calling you into her office earlier?"

"Yeah." Greg leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands in his lap. "Nick was also there."

"Stokes?" Morgan made a puzzled face. "He's in Las Vegas?" Her face brightened at the mention of their friend.

"He was on video conference. There was a crime scene in San Diego that was set up identically to a Gig Harbor Killer's crime scene. The strings, the evidence markers, cameras- almost everything."

Morgan's blood ran cold. "Is,- were,- the strings made out of human tissue?" she managed to ask.

"That is one of the major differences in the scenes. However, if he didn't have his lady friend to do the stringing for him, he may have had to change his M.O. The strings were hung in such a way to indicate the Gemini constellation. We have to investigate further. We have known that Winthrop had many accomplices. This may be the main one who helped with the crime scenes. "

"We've always thought that was the case. I never believed one hundred percent that Briscoe and Winthrop were the only two involved. Winthrop is a very convincing man." Morgan helped herself to the file sitting beside Greg's computer. He allowed her to open it. LVPD letterhead outlining the details of the reciprocity agreement was on top. Greg silently watched Morgan read the letter, unsure of her reaction.

"You're going to San Diego." She said flatly after reading the letter. She didn't look up, just continued to flip through the papers in the file.

"Yeah." he said softly.

Silence filled the room. Greg's eyes roamed the office as he thought of something to say. Morgan put the file back on the desk and pinched the bridge of her nose. "There's nothing I can do about you leaving for a while, but please, please be careful out there." Morgan pleaded, tears in her eyes once again. "The Gig Harbor Killer killed Finn. He doesn't care who dies while playing his sick games." She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them.

"This may be a copy cat. I promise you, Morgan, I will call you every evening and text you regularly while I am at work. You can even ask Nick to keep tabs on me." Once again, Greg put his hands on her knees. " I want to make sure you are reassured that I am safe while I'm gone." He moved in to give Morgan a hug, but a quick rap at the door stopped him.

Hodges opened the door and walked in to the room. He stopped short, seeing Morgan's puffy red eyes. Unsure whether to come or go, Hodges stood still. "I'm sorry." he said, eyes travelling from Greg to Morgan. "I was just looking for Morgan to see if she could help me with a load of trace that just got dumped on my lab."

Greg's first instinct was to shoo Hodges away, but he relented. "Hodges, come in and sit down for a second. Word will be out soon enough."

Intrigued, Hodges grabbed a chair and pulled it close to the other two. He sat down, waiting.

"There is a chance that the Gig Harbor Killer has resurfaced in San Diego. I was just speaking with Nick." Hodges eyebrows rose. "I've been asked to go to San Diego and give the CSI's there a thorough briefing of the crime scenes and then help determine if this is a copycat."

"Wow." Hodges leaned back in his chair. "This is big." He glanced over at Morgan, now understanding the reason behind Morgan's demeanor.

Greg watched Hodges fully take in Morgan's demeanor. "Look, Morgan's a little worried about Nick and I, after what happened to Finn."

"Yes, of course." Nodded Hodges.

"Can you be there for Morgan, if she needs it while I'm away?"

Hodges nodded and looked at Morgan. Clearly unhappy with the events of the day, she just stared at the wall.


	6. San Diego

Warm sunshine greeted Greg as soon as he exited the air conditioned taxi cab. He grabbed his suitcase and briefcase and made his way to the entrance of the San Diego Police Department. The faint odor of sweat greeted him as he opened the door. _Smells like LVPD_. He thought, strolling through halls adorned with plaques and photos on it. _Even looks like LVPD._

With the assistance of the administrative assistant, he soon found himself walking into Nick Stokes' San Diego office.

"Greggo!" Exclaimed Nick, coming around from behind the desk to give Greg a hearty hug. "Come, sit down and tell me about Las Vegas. I've been a little nostalgic for the old family after finding the Gig Harbor crime scene." He paused for a second. "How's Morgan?" Nick smirked at Greg.

"She's fantastic. She's dating a great guy." Greg couldn't help but smile.

Nick slapped his desk and gave a hearty laugh. "So you finally asked her out?"

Greg nodded smugly. "She's having a little trouble after the bombing though."

"Morgan?" Nick was surprised. "She's a pretty tough girl and she's been through so much worse."

"She wants to move into the lab full time. Apparently her dad isn't too keen on it." Greg sat down in the chair facing Nick.

"Hmm." Nick mulled over what Greg had just told him. "Well, we're chronically short staffed right now. If she wants a position, I'm sure I could get her one. You too." He pointed at Greg. "but don't tell Catherine I'm trying to poach her staff!"

Greg spent the rest of the morning setting up a presentation for the San Diego CSI's. After grabbing a late breakfast with Nick, he came back to the conference room to find a man and woman already seated, chatting amiably with one another.

"Oh, hi there." Said the man, getting out of his chair and coming to shake Greg's hand. Dressed in pressed khakis and a blue button down shirt, his grey and silver hair cut short, he reminded Greg of Hodges- but without the used car salesman vibe. "I hope you don't mind that we're a bit early. We're from the swing shift. I'm Will and this is Linda." He pointed to the small dark haired woman seated behind him. Her dark features were highlighted with tastefully applied make up and she was wearing a dark suit with a bright red tailored shirt underneath. Greg guessed she was around his own age, maybe a little older.

Linda stood up and came around the table as well, giving Greg a firm handshake. She stepped back and stood beside Will. "We were the ones that found the initial crime scene so we are a little gung- ho about the briefing. We've been reading as much as we can about the Gig Harbor Killer."

Greg nodded. "I read your initial reports. I heard it was you, Linda who recognized this pattern?"

"Yes, I remembered reading a crime briefing from Las Vegas and sent a few photos to Nick while we were still at the scene. The only thing that makes me think copycat is the strings that are not made from human tissue." Linda looked over at Will. "It was pretty chilling to listen to that tape recorder that was left at the scene. "

"Yeah, Nick and Sara were pretty awed over the level of detail the Gig Harbor killer managed." Greg pointed to a pile of papers stacked at one spot, staple holding the papers together. "I hope people are prepared for the level of depravity he possesses- if it is indeed a return of the killer or his mystery accomplice."

Just then two men walked into the room, introducing themselves to Greg and then finding a spot aorund the long wooden conference table. They were followed by the rest of the CSI's on the team. A small brunette who looked around twelve years old, came right over and greeted Greg. Nick had mentioned that this woman had a gift for forensics and even though she was only a level 1 CSI, he expected her to move up the up the ranks fast.

"Are you Mila?" Greg asked. Surprised, she nodded. "Yes, did Nick tell you to to look out for the teenager trying to sneak into the presentation?"

Greg laughed. "Something like that. He mentioned he wants you to gain experience in big, high profile investigations. So welcome." She smiled and made her way to the last remaining seat.

Greg decided to start the briefing. "Thanks for coming. My name is Greg Sanders. I work with the Las Vegas crime lab and worked on the Gig Harbor Killer case. Nick Stokes is also very knowledgeable about the case, but unfortunately he is in an Internal Affairs meeting and can't make it. The Gig Harbor killer can be considered quite a sociopath. His victims were mostly young college students, some who were making extra money as call girls. Unfortunately, he took the life of a colleague and friend of mine, Julie Finlay. He decided she needed to be involved in his sick games and she was a casualty. Just remember that when investigating."

Greg switched on the smart board and pulled up the crime scene photos from the first investigation. "I'm going to give a detailed overview of all crime scenes. I'll go over our notes, the photos and all evidence. If you have any questions, please ask. Lastly, we'll go over the San Diego crime scene and discuss the differences and similarities."

He spent the morning showing the group gruesome crime scenes, every CSI was riveted to the presentation, taking notes and asking questions. They broke for lunch and Nick was able to join them in the conference room.

The group dug in to their sandwiches, despite gruesome morning spent on crimes scene photos and dissected bodies. Instead of continuing along that line, the conversation immediately turned to personal matters. "How's your daughter's broken arm healing?" asked Mila.

Linda put her sandwich down and laughed. "She's doing much better. The cast comes off in two weeks. She can't stand anyone asking how she broke her arm." Turning to Greg, she added. "My daughter fell out of bed."

"I can think of worse ways to break a bone. That doesn't seem too embarrassing."

"She's sixteen." Everyone chuckled.

"Alright, that's a little embarrassing." He conceded.

"Linda's daughter is quite accident prone." Volunteered Will.

"She's no worse than you!" Countered Linda. "You have filled out the most accident reports at crime scenes than the rest of us combined!"

"Yeah, well I'm retiring soon, so someone else is going to take over that record."

The banter continued, making Greg a bit homesick for the old days at the Vegas Crime Lab. The new Las Vegas group were nice enough, but they were more colleagues than a team. He watched Mila teasing Nick, noticing how much Nick fit in with the group now. Greg felt like the outsider, missing some inside jokes.

Greg ducked outside for a few minutes and sent a quick email to Morgan, knowing she was still asleep from getting off work at 8 am. He felt the need to connect with his Las Vegas colleagues. He decided to send a second email to Hodges, to make sure Morgan wasn't hiding anything.

He started his presentation soon after, finishing up mid afternoon. Nick came back to help discuss the one piece of the puzzle that didn't fit. "So," asked Mila, "Are we making the assumption that the Gig Harbor killer accomplice is unable to get dead bodies in order to make all of his crime scene paraphernalia? Why didn't he kill a few people, get some 'material' so to speak and then start staging crime scenes again? That seems to be the biggest barrier to concluding that this is the Gig Harbor Killer. To be honest, my first instinct is a copycat." Will nodded along with her.

Linda piped up, grabbing a photo of the San Diego Crime Scene. "Maybe he just moved. LVPD got really close to him, wiped out his entire network of criminal buddies and bodies. He doesn't have anyone to string human body parts into wire anymore. It's not easy just to find someone willing to receive random guts and make string from them."

"Why not kill a few victims, restock your supply of body parts and then, after doing your work on the bodies, resume tormenting the police? Why now? Why not wait until he can do it properly?" Linda replied, continuing to look back at the crime scene photos in her possession.

Will added thoughtfully. "Maybe this is the way the Gig Harbor acomplice wants to go. With Winthrop out of the way, he can do his killing his own way."

Mila spoke up quietly, "Two things that were not made public included the crime scene markers made out of human skin and the different types of bugs on the bodies, evidence that they had been moved." Neither of these are featured in the this new crime scene. That's an awful big coincidence". Maybe we should be looking at the cause of death of this young woman. Maybe all of the stuff is an elaborate smoke and mirrors distraction and the cause of death may help us determine if this is an existing killer who decided to emulate his hero-Gig Harbor Killer."

Nick and Greg looked at each other. Nick nodded his head and raised his eyebrow. I told you she was smart. "Great idea Mila, do you want to pull recent rapes and murders with similar causes of death to our victim?"

"I'm on it." She grabbed her coffee mug and marched out of the room.

The team worked late into the evening, perusing different leads and sharing ideas. Finally, Nick called it a night and he and Greg drove back to his place.

"A gated community?" Greg raised his eyebrows as Nick waved his pass in front of the sensor. Two large gates opened and Nick drove through.

"It's not foolproof, but after what Finn went though, I will admit it was a selling point." Nick shrugged, as he parked in his driveway. Greg got out to retrieve his suitcase.

"Thanks for having me stay with you, It'll be nice not to go to a hotel and stare at the TV until it is time to return to PD."

Nick opened the door, Sam barking a quick greeting. "No problem, although you will be cramping my style. The single ladies in the neighborhood have been wandering by quite often. Seeing you, may make them reconsider."

"Oh, I'm sure you've already taken enough of the ladies of the area around here that they won't get the wrong impression."

"True enough. Lets go inside, open a couple of beers and order a pizza." Nick laughed. The evening passed quickly with the two men reminiscing about the good old days and swapping stories.

The next morning Greg wandered into to the conference room. Will and Mila were already there, hard at work. Spread out on the table were crime scene photos and taped to the wall was a mug shot of a very handsome man. Will looked up as Greg walked in. "Hey, we think we have something here. Come see."

Curious, Greg walked over. "Okay," said Mila excitedly. "The body we found at the so-called Gig Harbor killer's crime scene was a party girl. She was ID'd last night as Patricia Waters. She was last seen, completely wasted at an underground party on Saturday. All of the people she went to the party assumed she went home with the other friends." Mila rolled her eyes. "Some friends." She carried on, eyes sparkling enthusiastically. "When I checked the database for a similar rape and murder, I found this guy." she pointed to the mug shot hanging on the wall.

"Who, Matt Damon?" asked Greg.

Mila and Will both laughed. "Basically. His name is Peter Thorne. This guy was arrested ten years ago for sexual assault at a high school keg party. He had a second arrest five years ago for forcible confinement. He'd met a girl at a party. He said he was just taking her home when she freaked out and ran out of the car at a stop light. Witnesses got the licence plate number and he was taken in for questioning. The girl was high on drugs and embarrassed. She never pressed charges."

"Now, this is where it gets interesting." Will jumped in. "In the first sexual assault case, the girl said he took her underwear off. In the second case, the runaway said the same thing."

"Was Patricia Waters wearing underwear?" Asked Greg, moving to stand beside the two as they continued to explain their theory.

"No, but she was in a fancy dress and sometimes girls do go commando if it ruins the lines of a dress." Stated Mila. "That in itself was not unusual. Here is where we see the pattern. Both girls were without underwear, young brunettes and either at a party or just after a party when an assault took place. Over the past seven years, we've had six reported rapes at underground raves or parties that fit the same profile. Young, brunette, panties taken and-" she raised her finger in emphasis. "All said that they had met a good looking young man at a party and the good looking guy turned nasty."

As the rest of the CSI's on the case trickled in, Mila and Will brought them up to speed on what they had discovered last night. As the CSI's turned their attention to the new connection, Greg watched. By mid-morning they had put a solid case together to bring in Peter Thorne.

By late evening, the case against Thorne was coming along nicely. His alibi had fallen through and a search warrant of the home had led to Mila finding a treasure trove of panties. The biggest find was in Thorpe's office. "Pretty much everything that was written or blogged about the Gig Harbor Killer was in that room." Will had remarked. "He was obsessed with that case. I think he saw himself as a Paul Winthrop/Jared Briscoe type. Cocky, narcissistic and the type that liked to play games."

Just like that Greg found himself on the Red Eye back to Las Vegas. He arrived back home just in time to surprise Morgan. He waited in her driveway until she got home from work. The change of shift and the lack of sleep caught up to him and he fell into a deep sleep in his vehicle.


	7. Home at Last

Warm breath tickled his neck, his name was being called in the distance. Greg struggled to wake up and decipher his unusual surroundings. A blond head came into view. "Hi." she whispered, leaning forward to give him a slow kiss on the lips.

Greg returned the kiss, breaking away to whisper, "I missed you."

"It was a nice surprise to hear you'd be back so soon." Stepping back to let Greg get out of the car and stretch his cramped body, Morgan waited until he was done before slowly running her hands up his chest and clasping them behind his neck.

"I was very happy to be home so quickly. I guess San Diego P.D. jumped the gun a little, but it was still really nice to get out there and visit Nick." Leaning forward, Greg grabbed Morgan by the waist and pulled her close, slowly kissing up her neck, moving towards her ear.

"Mmmm," replied Morgan, no longer interested in conversing. "Lets go inside before we put a show on for the neighbours." She took his hand and led him into the house, their bodies in constant contact. As the front door closed behind them, Morgan whispered to Greg, "How tired are you?"

"Not that tired." He replied, as Morgan led him to the bedroom.

 _Darkness surrounded him. He tried to sit up, but found his hands and feet were bound. Pieces of string, lots of it, were hung from walls, to floor, giving him the feeling of being caught in a spider web. He tried to scream, but he could only get out a whimper._

"Greg!" He could hear a woman's voice calling him through the darkness. He struggled some more, noticing he was able to more around more. He tried to reply to the voice again. He recognized it, Morgan?

"Morgan?" He whimpered, the room slowly coming into focus.

"Greg!" He could feel an arm on his stomach. He opened his eyes, meeting Morgan's concerned blue eyes. The memory of early this morning replaced the nightmare that he'd just had.

"Oh, sorry Morgan. I guess the last few days being immersed in the Gig Harbor Killer kind of brought back some bad memories." He sat up in Morgan's bed. Morgan sat up too. She moved closer and cuddled up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"It happens to you too?" she said softly.

"Yeah." He replied just as softly.

The two sat there in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the company.

"So how have you been doing the last few days?" Greg asked. "You sounded good on the phone."

"I am doing okay, but I'm sure you got your Hodges report, too."

Laughing, Greg nodded his head. "You're right. He texted me a report both mornings."

"So, you never told me, how was San Diego, other than work?" Morgan asked, taking one of his hands and interlacing their fingers together.

"It's nice. Nick's doing really well for himself there. The CSI's there were a real family, like what we used to be like." Greg shrugged, slightly hesitating before asking the next question. "Has your dad come around yet?"

"No." replied Morgan.

* * *

Over the next few months, Greg and Morgan's relationship continued to develop. Morgan had all but moved into Greg's house. Fear of being found out, they decided to keep their relationship under wraps. However, they both knew it wasn't a permanent solution. One Saturday night, they were each having a beer, sitting side by side, sharing a lounge chair. Greg was looking up at the few stars that were visible through the light pollution.

"You've been a little quieter than normal, lately." Morgan remarked, rubbing Greg's chest. She couldn't stand the silence anymore.

Greg took in a big breath. Morgan was right, he'd been talking to Nick a lot lately and something was on his mind. He'd been hesitant to bring it up to Morgan, but he was unable to hide it any longer.

"Hey, listen." He said softly, reaching up to stroke her hair. "I know things with your dad haven't gotten better and we will have to come clean about dating sooner or later."

"Yeah." A pit settled in Morgan's stomach. "I think I'm going to have to look for another job. Maybe in a lab in the private sector."

"You've done well in your therapy. I hate to see you leave the lab. You are really loving it. I can tell." He took another swig of beer. "Back when I went out to San Diego, I got thinking. It was great working with Nick again, the city is beautiful and it's only a couple of hours drive from both of my parents and your mom and step dad."

Morgan sat up as Greg dropped his arm from her shoulder. "Are you thinking of leaving Las Vegas?"

Greg turned to face Morgan directly. "I talked to Nick again the other night. He'd had joked about us coming to work for him in San Diego back when I was down there. It turns out Will is retiring soon and Nick wants me to come. He can also get you a lab position. Their politics are a lot different there."

"Wow." Stunned, Morgan raised her eyebrows. "I thought you loved Las Vegas? You've been here twenty years. You've written a book about the city. Your career is here." She shrugged, confused.

"I know, and I'll miss the city, but it's not like I can never come visit. San Diego is full of familiar faces. Nick is there, Sara and Grissom stop by and visit, maybe a new start is what we need."

"But what about your book? I know you've started researching for another book."

Greg smiled into the distance. He put his arm around Morgan and pulled her close. Whispering in her ear, he added. "When we have kids, I'm not going to have much time to write a book."

Morgan pulled him in for a long kiss. "I think you've come up with a great idea. I think we need to think seriously about doing this."

* * *

Knocking on the door to the small room, Catherine Willows entered to find a nervous Greg fiddling with his tie.

"I guess this is the one last thing you need to do before leaving town?" She smiled, coming in to fix Greg's tie. "There, you look great."

"How's Morgan? Have you seen her today?" Greg replied, smiling.

"She looks beautiful. You're going to be blown away when you see her." Catherine stopped talking and pulled Greg in for a hug. " I'm glad you two have gotten together. I've watched you grow from a cocky lab rat, to a wonderful man. You've found the perfect match." Pausing, she leaned away from Greg, giving him one last inspection. "It's time to go and get married." Catherine stepped back, beckoning to the door.

Greg nodded and stepped through the door, ready to take his place at the alter.

He made his way to the alter of the small church, taking his spot beside the officiant. He looked to the seats, finding Catherine, Lindsay, Brass and a few other special friends grinning back at him. Lindsay flashed him a double thumbs up and a big grin.

Greg smiled back as the opening notes of the Wedding March filled the room. Eagerly, Greg turned his attention to the far door. Slowly it opened, revealing Morgan on the arm of her Father. Dressed in a simple white dress, fabric floating around her, she sent a bright smile to her future husband. Greg grinned back. She was breathtaking, her hair falling in soft curls just the way he liked it. He bit his lip, taking a step forward waiting for Morgan to make her way down the aisle, anxious to take his bride in his arms.


End file.
